What's your worst DIY disaster?

News Reporter

Nearly one in 10 home owners has experienced a DIY disaster, with botched jobs typically costing more than £2,000 to put right, a survey has found.

Some 9% of home owners surveyed have had a do-it-yourself project go wrong, with the average cost of correcting the mistake put at £2,271, according to Co-op Insurance.

Women were more likely to say a DIY project had gone awry, with 10% of women admitting to this compared with 8% of men.

Generally, the most common mistake was underestimating the time or cost of a project, with a "simple" job becoming more complicated than expected and the budget spiralling out of control.

Burst water pipes, paint splatters on carpets and floors, walls being damaged by attempts to put up shelves, and people injuring themselves were other common mistakes made during DIY projects.

London, Northern Ireland and North West England were the regions where people were most likely to say they had suffered a DIY disaster, while people in East Anglia were the least likely to have had a mishap, the research across the UK suggests.

Older people were also less likely than the younger generation to say a DIY project had gone wrong, with one in 16 (6%) over-55s saying this compared with one in seven (14%) 25 to 30-year-olds.

Following DIY mishaps, two-fifths (40%) of people said they would be likely to call in a professional builder or handyman in future.

Caroline Hunter, head of home insurance at Co-op Insurance, said: "Accidental damage may cover disasters such as spilt paint on carpets or burst water pipes, however more extensive home improvement projects, such as changes to the buildings structure might invalidate your home insurance policy, if it isn't completed by a professional builder - so it's best to check before you start."

Around 1,000 people took part in the survey.

Here are some common DIY disasters, according to the research from Co-op Insurance: